


Terrible Twos

by PolarGrizz47



Series: Family Ties [3]
Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alpha!Jack, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Kid Fic, M/M, Omega!Rhys, Zach's at it again everybody, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-14 23:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4583670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolarGrizz47/pseuds/PolarGrizz47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys and Jack learn that they aren’t so terrible after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Terrible Twos

**Author's Note:**

> Unedited ~  
> This AU has ruined me.

Along with Zach’s first, true steps on his own, came his roaring fashion sense. By the time he was twenty-four months old, he’d already determined that he liked color yellow, simply on the basis that both Jack and Rhys wore it often and it made them happy.

He’d come tottering over on his two little legs to greet Jack when he opened the door every night and shriek ‘papa’ with all the delight in the world while wearing the Hyperion colors. Rhys would come home earlier, and usually picked up his son from day-care, which was now a ritual. Jack dropped him off, and Rhys swooped in to pick him up.

The first few times Jack had tried to drop him off was met by intense wailing and clinging, and even though the older Alpha knew Zach was suffering from separation anxiety and that it’d _go away_ over time, it still stabbed at his heart as he tried to reason with his kiddo.

Promises of return meant nothing to his sobbing kid, and Jack had to stress a smile to the person in charge, who seemed to be unfazed by the entire meltdown. It was normal, afterall.

Hiking Zach up onto his hip, Jack walked back and forth down the hallway next to the daycare center and tried to soothe his crying fit. He found that mumbling in a quiet tone, and stroking his son’s back usually was the cure to any fit of anxiety. By lowering his voice, it meant that Zach was going to have to stop crying in order to hear him, and instead he would sniffle sadly into his father’s neck while catching his breath.

“There you go,” Jack had said once the sniffles ceased. He crouched down on the ground to get eye to eye with Zach. “Do you wanna tell me what’s the matter, kiddo?”

Zach wiped at his big tears and reached out to steady himself on his father’s knees as he croaked out, “You’re _leavin’_.”

Jack nodded. “Yes.” He started, watching how Zach seemed to have a difficult time understanding that. “But I’ll be back later, Zach.” He soothed, not the least bit concerned with how tardy he could be getting to word.

The kid took in a deep breath and added, “You aren’t leavin’ _forever_?”

Jack let out a little laugh and scooped his son back up into his arms. “No, I’m not leaving you forever, kiddo.”

The next few days were still met with resistance, but Jack was used to calming him down and talking to him when he wasn’t a screaming mess, and soon it became one of Zach’s favorite places to go play. It was full of other kids his age, and had plenty of new and exciting toys to keep himself occupied with, as well as provide some sort of social interaction.

Sometimes Rhys had trouble getting Zach to leave, but normally the young boy would catch one glimpse of lithe man by the door and come screeching over in pure delight. It was adorable, in all honesty, with how excited he was to get his things packed up and hold on tight to his dad’s hand before leading him proudly down the hall.

He was always excited to get back into familiar territory, and usually Zach would settle in for a nap on the couch while Rhys put on some light music. From there, the Omega spent a few minutes of relaxation and slipped out of his work clothes to greet his mate in something more laid back.

Sometimes he’d start dinner, or wait until Jack got home to help him. Rarely did they order take-out for dinner, as it was more a lunch thing.

Even if Jack dragged himself home from the office in the most terrible mood, Zach could easily put a smile on the older man’s face with his excited uproar. Jack normally didn’t have a chance to slip off his boots before Zach was trying to latch himself to the Alpha’s legs.

Despite his first few intense meltdowns during daycare, nothing compared to the way Zach screamed bloody murder at the tippy top of his lungs whenever a complete stranger dared to touch him. Rhys and Jack had been surprised when Zach screeched like a dying cat when one of the senior board members for Hyperion had rested their hand on his shoulder. They were attempting to try and calm him down from jumping all over the place.

His resulting wail could be heard three or four rooms down, and it took both Rhys and Jack stepping out to completely calm him down. Zach had only really been around Vaughn, Yvette, and his parents throughout his early life.

Strangely enough, their daycare center had told them nothing about such wailing, and when asked, they assured that Zach was the life of the party and never really threw a fit like that around the other kids. A fit over toys sometimes, sure, but never a screaming cry over someone gently touching him.

They found later on that this stranger anxiety was a mixed bag, and chose random times to rear its ugly head. At meetings, Rhys and Jack made sure one of them stayed within arm’s reach to Zach, and were quick to reassure him when he started hiding behind their legs.

While they prepared themselves mentally for another fit, even with Vaughn or Yvette, this never happened. Zach had made his little pack of friends and he stuck with them like glue while Jack and Rhys continued to be perplexed by his meeting behavior.

It only took two more tantrums in the meeting room before Rhys figured it out.

“Jack,” He said coolly while the Alpha hugged their sniffling child, “I think I might know what this is about.” Mismatched eyes flickered to Zach and the older man encouraged him with a nod. “Zach’s never seen us actually – you know – touching them?”

“ _What_?” Jack huffed, his nose crinkling with distaste.

Rhys lightly smacked him on the arm, “Not like that!” The Omega hissed before rolling his eyes. “We greet the others with like – a handshake or a hug. We’re not on that same basis here.” His metallic hand vaguely gestured inside the meeting room.

Raising his eyebrows, Jack gave a low hum of thought. Rhys was right, but he still wasn’t going to go around glad-handing the pompous assholes.

“Well,” The CEO started, “Do you wanna start shaking hands and all that?”

Rhys pouted. “Not really…”

“Then we shouldn’t have to, kitten. What we need to do it make a new rule.” Jack smirked at the curiously worried expression the Omega pulled.

That new rule ended up being ‘ _Touch my kid and I’ll give you a one way ticket off Helios_.’

Rhys had smacked a hand to his face while he held Zach by the doorway, and then chuckled when his son mimicked the action with a bubble of laughter. That was virtually the end of his temper tantrums in the meeting room.

Along with random bouts of stranger anxiety came a whole lot of curious questions. Usually they were innocent, but sometimes he asked some really hard to explain questions.

One of those happened while Jack and Rhys settled in for a family movie, popping the disc in and waiting for the theme song from ‘ _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’_ to start. Zach had curled up in his favorite black and yellow blanket and snuggled against Rhys’ side.

The Omega had taken off his arm for the evening, after all, he really only needed one hand to shove his face full of chips, and had been absently running his human hand through his son’s wavy hair when the boy chirped, “Daddy – why is your arm all…” His face scrunched up adorably while he tried to figure out an appropriate word. With a huff, he finished, “ _Funny_?”

Jack exchanged a glance with Rhys, who merely heaved a sigh and shook his head. It wasn’t exactly the prettiest memory, nor was it a kid appropriate tale. “It got hurt, Zach. Badly hurt.” He said softly, not knowing how else to explain it.

Zach let out a little, worried gasp and reached up to touch at the empty side of Rhys’ shirt. He only associated the word ‘hurt’ with pain, and had suffered a scrapped knee or two by the time he figured out that ‘hurt’ wasn’t a happy word.

Their child gently pressed a kiss to his small fingertips and then reached up to press them against Rhys’ shoulder with a nod, following the procedure for any other boo-boo, “There,” The boy had said, flashing them both a caring smile, “ _All_ better.”

Rhys grinned and pressed a kiss to the boy’s head gently while murmuring, “Thank you, Zach.” Jack smiled at them both and slung an arm over Rhys’ shoulder to pull his little family closer while the movie started.

Sure, Zach had his ups and downs and fits over what to wear and what he wanted, but all in all, the first two years of their child’s life hadn’t been all that terrible.

**Author's Note:**

> AWEEEE ZACH. Stop being too adorable at the end omg.
> 
> Anyways... more of this little family. ;3;  
> Hope you liked!


End file.
